I do. I'm quite a fan of Japanese pop music and I'm not ashamed to admit that I listen to it more than English or Filipino (my native language) songs. The problem is, my knowledge of the Japanese language is very basic that I barely could understand the lyrics of some songs without outside help. Of course, since I'm the type of person who appreciates the melody more, my lack of understanding of the lyrics doesn't actually make me any less interested in genre - something which people find quite hard to understand. I'm currently taking some self-help lessons to improve my Japanese though, so...
How about you guys? Do you listen to songs which are not in a language you are familiar with? What keeps you interested in them? I'd love to hear your thoughts. lol
[question posted by nekonyanta]
responses and comments:
why limit the discussion to songs in languages i dont understand? i understand english perfectly but even then i have a hard time understanding what goes on in many songs, esp the rap songs. man these guys jus spit out words like crazy and its jus freaking awesum even if i have no clue wat they r sayin. i usually check up on the lyrics seperately n then enjoy the song again, n even try to sing alon ( which is pretty difficult!). as for songs in foreign lang, it all depends on the melody for me- the beats, the tempo, the rhythm and sometimes the insanity! it just has to be something that gets me feet tapping n i'll like it. but unless the song has killer beats ( like bebot by lack eyed peas), i'll not have it in my playlist. for me, understanding the lyrics is a very important part of what i listen to. [skb369]
Hi there. I sympathize with you about hardly understanding bits of certain raps. lol Thanks for the response. lol [nekonyanta]
I am Korean song fans but I understand the lyrics not like before..But still I like Filipino song.. [jangmihoney]
Hi there. KPop sure is becoming more popular these days. lol I rarely like new Filipino songs. I'm more of a fan of classics (for my generation). lol [nekonyanta]
I do too! I sometimes listen to Japanese songs (anime themesongs to be more specific.) Songs from Japanese bands are really guitar oriented which is fun to listen to. And i listen to Mars Volta too and they have songs that are not English. Its better if you know the lyrics or whate the song means but if you like it then go for it! [ossified]
JPop, especially bubblegum pop, is so much fun to listen to. I'm currently hooked on an idol group right now (NEWS) but I do listen to anime theme songs too. lol [nekonyanta]
yeah i listen to a lot of japanese pop and anime sound tracks. i don't know much about the Japanese language but i still appreciate the music they have. obviously i'm also more on the melody but i sing with it even if my lyrics are not so right. i also listen to korean music though i like japanese music more. i find the lyrics of korean songs so hard to read. hehe happy mylotting! [jane9147]
Hi there. lol I do that too - sing along with the lyrics without even understanding them, I mean. It's fun listening to JPop and I usually get carried away. Korean isn't a language that I'm comfortable with listening to, for some reason. Maybe it's because I've been exposed to too much Japanese that other Asian languages (aside from my own) sound really foreign. lol [nekonyanta]
i enjoy middle eastern music because belly dancing is one of my hobbies. It can be a bit frustrating when i can't sing along to a track I enjoy. [snugasabugxxx]
Belly dancing sounds fun. I envy people who could actually do it. lol [nekonyanta]
I don't really listen to songs if I can't understand the language most of the time. I was a music major in college though, so I had to learn about music from different countries and different styles. For that reason, I do occasionally listen to music of other languages, but it's usually from an opera or an oratorio or something, since that's what I had to study and got used to. I don't really listen to pop music in other languages though. I pretty much just stick to the English stuff. happy I really like being able to understand the lyrics, cause that sometimes tends to make the song more meaningful to me. [elisa812]
I travel to countries in different parts of the world. I always listen to songs and music of the countries I visit. It is very interesting to get to know the different cultures. Unique and beautiful in their own ways ! [greenline]
I'm a big fan of Jpop. I also like some anime themes. I don't understand the lyrics of most of them, but the melodies are so dang bubbly and catchy that I can't help but enjoy them. [dreamblur]
I'm personally a big fan of Rammstien, and the vast majority of their music is in German, which I know very little of. It works out quite well for me, though, because if I could hear what they were singing in their songs, then I would just be grossed out by it, and wouldn't be able to stand listening to it. [Christoph56]
Not really therefore I am not sure what there saying. I do listen to some Italian music thought. I grew up with the Italian radio station on sundays with my dad. [emilie2300]
I'm currently listening to "Helden" by Apocalyptica. [cbjones]
I listen to Italian operattas, but I know very little Italian. I got hooked on them because my sister studied classical voice. There was a time when I kept on listening to this Rumanian song (it was on Chicken Little I think - although I can't be sure since I never saw the movie) because it reminded me of a summer in Spain and then there was a time when I listened to Taiwanese songs because of the F4 mania. [wahmivy]
I often listen to songs in a language I do not know! The reason is because I either like the beat, the voice, or, ya no, just think its a cool song! Sometimes, admitedly, I will listen to the stuff just because the band has a cool image- but if thats the case, it usually only gets one listen or two. [chemcdow]
I love to listen to Il Divo. Some of their songs are in English, but most are not. I keep listening to them because the songs they sing in other languages have also been recorded in English, and I can kind of sing along. I also like their look and their stage presence. [wcposter]
I have listened to music that i could not understand. my one friend loves to listen to some weird stuff... that i swear you can only listen too if you are trippy off of something... lol but listening to music that i can't understand is not a regular thing... it's pretty rare actually in less its popular or something or on t.v [sameroad]
Hi, I do listen to songs with lyrics in a language that I don't understand. I always listen to Korean, Japanese or Latin songs even though I don't understand the language. I don't mind that I don't understand the lyrics as I am not someone who would sing along with the song as it is being played. I would like to listen to a song as long as its music and rhythm is nice disregard of the language. Music itself is an international language. [ionsquare]
me too.... im from indonesia and love japanese songs too, like l'arc en ciel.... but u can download the lyrics and get the romanji version and the english version.... u'll understand what's the meaning.... =) [cieldz]
yes i have bout 63 l'arc en ciel's and hyde's songs... but not only l'arc en ciel, im listening a lot j-songs like do as infinity, high and mighty colors, uverworld, x-japan, aqua times, etc... =) [cieldz]
In my opinion, lyrics, melody, arrangement and even the sound of the singer are all the channels of the meaning that one song wants to show. Music there is no countries, for all of us have the same feeling for life, for love, and for ourselves in some aspects. We are happy when sucessing, we are sad when losing our love. There is the human common feeling. While the songs are one of the forms for these common feeling, so we will love some songs that we don't know exactly what they are talking about. However, we can feel the songs from their melody, the tools they used and sound of the singer. [Spring1984]
I do love to listen in music despite the different language barriers. Because i also appreciates the melody and the way artists sing it eventhough i don't know the meaning of the song. Its just, a difference in language doesn't stop me from listening since i can always search for the english translation. As long as it satisfy my feelings, i will not stop in searching for different kinds of music around the world. [laedyan]
Generally, I find that if I can't understand what's being said in a song, I don't like it. Even any instrumental music, I may think that it's good, but without lyrics that can listen to, I probably won't listen to it again. It needs to make me think, I guess. [votenoonpineapple]
yep in my opinion music is more important than lyrics~ I dont care if i can understand the lyrics... [kimutaku]
I do listen to songs that i don't quite understand. I am listening to TWPop, Kpop, and most of all JPop. I am very much addicted to JPop especially JE music. I've been a fan of the idol groups NEWS and Kanjani 8. I am a fan of Nishikido Ryo so Ryo's music is what i always listen. I've been trying to learn Japanese so that in the I can understand perfectly the language. The fact that I love these guys keeps me interested in them. [ryotan08]
Hi there. It's nice to meet a fellow NEWS fan here on myLot. There's so few of us. lol I'm more of a Massu fan, though. If I had a second favorite group in JE, it would be Kanjani8, not only because of the fact that Ryo is also in it but also because they're so much fun to watch and quite talented in their own way. Hope to see more of you around. lol [nekonyanta]
Yes,I listen to songs which are not my native language.Because I think different songs with distinct culture and lives. [eleven288]
Wow!w00t and I thought i was the one who had the addiction for the Japanese Anime. Well, For me it's better off if i don't understand it because i only like the music, and it bores me knowing the lyrics of the song. there are times that i also listen to Italianhappy version of dragon ball z. they are so good in making this song very hyper than the others. US songs are good but when it comes increasing adrenalin i listen to Japanese songs, it really brings down shivers to my spine. you should listen to these youtube music Link.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFiqwRSEAD0 [Greeneagle24]
I listen to music in Brazilian Portuguese and English. Why Braz. Portuguese? I am a first generation American-Brazilian. And, having an American mother, I never learned to speak Portuguese, which is the language of Brazil. So I'm currently learning, and Brazilian music helps me. Ever since I started listening to it, for learning purposes, I haven't stopped. The music is amazing, much better than anything I've heard here in the USA. Maybe because it's just different to my ears, I don't know, but music from Brazil is just beautiful. Samba, funk, sertanejo, forro, I love it all!! I'll probably end up listening to lots of music in Spanish soon, when I start learning that language. [jeneias]
I listen to song that sing languages I don't speak all the time. If I like the melody I will listen to it. I listen to alot of Japanese music too but I'm trying to learn the language as well. [mishastar]
I love Korean music even though I don't understand it. One of my favorite groups is Drunken Tiger. [lilnono]
I used to listed to Japanese songs, mostly OSTs of animes that I watched. But I stopped watching animes mostly because I no longer have the time to and second, because my boyfriend prefers watching other tv series :) I try to keep up with him so that we'd have more to talk about. Thanks for the response on my discussion! [oyenkai]
Hi there. I actually started listening to Japanese music when I got addicted to anime. Somehow, even when I sort of lost interest in anime (it's something I watch from time to time but I'm not as addicted as I was before), and then I discovered the world of Johnny's Entertainment, particularly the group NEWS, and I've been hooked since then. lol [nekonyanta]
I listen to songs in other languages even though I might not understand the words or meaning. Sometimes I just like music for the music and not particularly what they say. I think there are probably a lot of people like this as there are certain types of music that you never hear words to...only music! ninja [greeneyedlady]
Of course I do. My mother tongue is Spanish and I listen rock all the day. Rock songs with lyrics in English, of course. My favourite band is Queen and I don´t know (and I don´t want to know) what does the lyrics mean. My skills to understand the spoken English are extremely poor. But the music is cool! [mano5chi]
Yes I do.I listen to the Arabic songs and Sufi songs the meaning of which I don't know .But the feeling and mood is always great.The don't say for nothing that music has no language.happy [balasri]
yo! i'm sure you're not surprise in seeing me here. ^^ i think liking Japanese music really comes with being a J-drama fan and i guess its true for other J-drama fans out there as well. i don't understand Nihonggoo much too. i can only understand simple words and phrases and sentences. but that doesn't stop me from liking their music. of course, it would be to like the melody first. the music itself, the tone, the sound, the rhythm. understanding the lyrics would come after that. and there's a lot of sites that provide lyrics translation for a lot lot lot of Japanese songs so it wouldn't be too hard to understand its real meaning. sometimes i might like a Spanish song too or other songs in other languages but i would be content to like its sound and not proceed on understanding it more by searching for its translated lyrics because i'm into Japanese more than anything. ^^ [secretbear]
*lol* Yes, I'm definitely not surprised. ^_____^ I'm horribly dependent on the internet too for lyrics translations, too. Thanks for the response. lol [nekonyanta]
Sometimes! If I love the melody. However, I have sisters and friends who love to hear music in other languages especially korean, chinese and japanese. Maybe because they love to watch anime and the drama. [kewlme]
yes i also sing them after i have heard them a few times and can remember them. [EmotionalFlatline]
i love listening to mandarin music although i don't understand the language. i wish i know how to speak the language and am quite interested in it..i also love watching mandarin tv series so i guess that's why i like listening to the songs even though i dont know the language. sometimes i also learn the lyrics if i'm really into the song whistle [kevsgirlalways]